Research suggests global religious identity has declined from 84 per cent
Pew Research is conducting research into the number of people who say they are religious, in order to update ground breaking research from 2010 which showed 84 per cent identified with a religion. Conrad Hackett, who leads a religion demography team at the US based Pew Research Centre, told the “More or Less” programme on BBC Radio 4, said their best provisional estimate is the figure is now 77 per cent. But he warns that this is not exactly comparable as they have made some changes in their research methodology. For example, they have widened the definition of religion in China, to include folk religion. He emphasised that asking people if they have a religion, does not measure whether they practise a faith, hold certain beliefs or whether they value the faith in their lives. Their new research asks how important religion is in people’s lives and has found that 90 per cent in sub Saharan Africa said it was very important, but only 10 per cent in much of Europe including the UK agreed. “No religion” is on the rise in the west, but its growth worldwide through birth rates or cultural shifts, cannot be predicted.
Four CofE bishops condemn Israel’s “injustice of occupation” in West Bank
Four Church of England bishops have written a letter to The Observer, condemning Israel’s “ongoing occupation and its associated policies of settlement construction and the forcible transfer of Palestinians from their lands and their homes”. It says this is a violation of international law and must end immediately. The Bishops of Gloucester, Chelmsford, Norwich and Southwark raise the case of the Christian Kisiya family, who were evicted on 31 July, from their home and ancestral land in the al-Makhrour valley outside Bethlehem. An illegal settlement has been established there instead. The bishops say there must be a robust set of measures to ensure Israel complies with the international court of justice and stops this activity. The Archbishop of Canterbury supported the bishops, tweeting that they had made an urgent and important intervention, adding: “We continue to stand in prayerful solidarity with our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers as they resist the injustice of occupation”.
Archbishop prays for peace at international congress in Paris
Yesterday, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave a speech to the International Meeting for Peace in Paris, an event also attended by President Macron and the Chief Rabbi of France Haïm Korsia. The Rector of the Great Mosque of Paris Chems-Eddine Hafiz, had a message read out in absentia. The event was organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a lay Catholic association working for peace. Justin Welby said reconciliation was the key to peace, built on a foundation of prayer.
New wave of conversions to Judaism after DNA tests
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain says there has been a wave of conversions to Judaism after at-home DNA tests proved Jewish ancestry. He told The Times that, in the past, conversions were rare but were now quite regular as people explore their Jewish roots. Dr Romain said those who convert might just have 5 or 10 per cent of their DNA, but typically they are in search of “some sort of moral compass or sense of spirituality or community”, together with a sense of heritage. Times article here
Christian affiliation of US presidential candidates “doesn’t matter”
Few Americans see the US presidential candidates as particularly Christian, despite Trump’s courting of the white evangelical vote and Kamala Harris’s long standing membership of and support among black Baptist churches. A poll for the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs found that although 70 per cent of evangelical Christians view Tump favourably, only 50 per cent say he represents their beliefs. For Kamala Harris, 75 per cent of black Protestants view her favourably, and 60 per cent say she represents their beliefs. But only around 4 in 10 say “Christian” describes her very or extremely well. AP quotes Professor R. Marie Griffith, a religion and politics professor at Washington University in St. Louis, concluding that religion doesn’t matter for voters this time. She says the survey represents a shift in how white evangelicals now talk about morality and religion in politics – they take care of their own, see liberal outsiders as evil and therefore could never support a Democrat. Anthea Butler, professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, said white evangelicals see him as instrumental to their goals, such as his appointment of conservative, anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. “He’s their guy no matter what,” she said. Associated Press story here
Trump inflames Jewish constituency with wild assertions in a speech
Donald Trump has said the Jewish community would be responsible if he lost the election to Kamala Harris. And he repeated that if he lose, Israel will cease to exist within two years under a Kamala Harris presidency. He was speaking at the Israeli-American Council (IAC) National Summit in Washington. He is quoted saying: “If I don’t win this election – and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40 per cent, I mean, 60 per cent of the people are voting for the enemy – Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years.”
US “Jewish Press” former editor jailed for 6 Jan riots
The former editor of the US Jewish Press, Elliot Resnick, has been jailed for his part in the 6 January Capitol riot in Washington DC. He willserve a four-month sentence for joining the attackers and obstructing a police officer. In addition, he was sentenced to four months of home detention and 24 months of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $10,539 in fines and restitution. The prosecution and the defence had at the time of his guilty pleas agreed to recommend a prison sentence of eight to 14 months and a fine between $4,000 and $40,000. After his sentencing he wrote a defiant message on Twitter saying the 6 January protesters were heroes and the left will do whatever it takes to win. Jewish News story here
Tributes paid to hospital chaplain found dead in Newcastle
The Rev Katherine Watson, aged 50, who was head of hospital chaplaincy in Newcastle and featured in the TV series Geordie Hospital, has been found dead. Police had been searching for her since she went missing on Thursday, and the following day they announced that they had found a body in the city, saying this was an incredibly sad outcome. No third party was involved. Known as Katie Watson, she was ordained in 2020 after first serving in the army in Bosnia, Croatia and Northern Ireland. The bishops of Newcastle and Berwick issued a statement saying they received the news with “a profound sense of sadness and grief.. and our first thoughts are with her partner Emily and their children and all who knew and loved Katie”. Her colleagues and friends paid tribute to her on social media, speaking of her contribution and support especially during the Covid pandemic. The bishops said she lived out her vocation in service, compassion, and humility.
